Objective To develop a PC-based system for simultaneous monitoring of locomotor and sound activities on small rodents. Methods The displacement and location signals of the animal were first determined across consecutive video-frames, followed by marked data reduction to cater for long-term studies. At the same time, sounds generated by the animal were detected and the sound level was recorded as root-mean-square values at 1-sec intervals. Results Preliminary data showed that such a multi-parametric monitor system could provide comprehensive information on the animal's activity.Conclusion It can be applied in many study field.

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is one of the most concerned hip diseases in the pediatric orthopaedic field.Although there are many treatments for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease,new ideas for the therapy of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease still exist.Moreover,the prognosis of the disease mostly focuses on the studies of the degree of involvement of the epiphyseal plate,age of onset and lateral pillar classification.This contribution summarizes the treatments and prognosis of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.

BACKGROUND: Caspase-3 is a cysteine proteinase that can promote cell apoptosis. Ciliary neurotrophic factor has many kinds of biological activities, such as protecting various neurons from injury, especially motorial neurons, thereby reducing the occurrence of nerve cell injury.OBJECTIVE: To observe the Influence of ciliary neurotrophic factor on spinal cord caspase-3 expression in different ages rats following sciatic nerve injury, aiming to make further investigation about the changing regularity and modulating character of peripheral nerve damage at various ages rats.DESIGN: Randomized controlled experiment.SETTING: Ultrasound Department and the 5th Research Institute of Daping Hospital, Field Surgery Research Institute of the 3rd Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS: This experiment was carried out at the Field Surgery Research Institute of the 3rd Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from April 2000 to December 2001. Altogether 810 wistar rats including infant rats with body mass of 30-100 g (birth age of 20 days), adult rats of 200-350 g (birth age of 4 m), elder rats of 400-800 g (birth age of 18-24 m),were selected with 270 rats in each age stage. Female and male does not limit.METHODS: [1] Experimental animal grouping: Various age rats were randomly divided into normal group (n=18), ciliary neurotrophic factor group(n=126) and physiological saline group (n=126), rats in ciliary neurotrophic factor group and physiological saline group were subdivided into 1 day, 3days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks subgroups. [2] Animal model preparation: In Ciliary neurotrophic factor group and physiological saline group, rats were cut off a piece of sciatic nerve of 2 mm long, both ends connected with silica tube for constructing neuranagenesis cab, in which 15 μL recombined ciliary neurotrophic factor (25 mg/L) was injected in ciliary neurotrophic factor group, and 15 μL physiological saline in physiological saline group. [3] Preparation and examination of specimen:Six rats were randomly selected from each group, lumbar L3-5 spinal cord were obtained for carryingonnation, caspase-3 activity examination and Western blotting examination.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: [1] Expression of spinal cord caspase-3 with IHC assay. [2] Distribution and expression intensity of spinal cordcaspase-3 by Western blotting technique. [3] Changes in caspase-3 activity.RESULTS: Altogether 810 rats completed the experiment, all data was entered the final result analysis. [1] Expression of spinal cord caspase-3 with IHC assay: After injury, neuronal caspase-3 expression became strengthened at injured side of various age physiological saline groups, which obviously increased at posttraumatic 2 weeks and 4 weeks, but less expressed at 8 weeks and 12 weeks; while in ciliary neurotrophic factor group, posttraumatic caspase-3 expression was mostly obvious at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. [2] Distribution and expression intensity of spinal cordcaspase-3 by Western blotting technique: Caspase-3 expression was not significant difference between various age subgroups in normal group(P ＞ 0.05). Comparing to the same age normal group and non traumatic group, caspase-3 expression was strengthened at 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks in various age physiological saline group and ciliary neurotrophic factor group damages (P ＜ 0.05-0.01); in ciliary neurotrophic factor group, caspase-3 showed weaker expression at 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks in infants; 2weeks and 4 weeks in adults, 4 weeks in elders comparing to corresponding physiological saline group, difference was significant (P ＜ 0.05-0.01).The comparison between untraumatic side of each group and normal group showed no statistical difference (P ＞ 0.05). [3] Changes in caspase-3 activity: In child, adult and elder physiological saline groups, caspase-3 activity was increased in traumatic spinal cord, moreover caspase-3 activity was higher than elder and adult group at various age point (P ＜ 0.05-0.01); in child, adult and elder ciliary neurotrophic factor groups, caspase-3 activity is lower than physiological saline group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). After damage,caspase-3 activity at traumatic side in physiological saline group and ciliary neurotrophic factor group was difference from normal group but without significant meaning (P ＞ 0.05), except the expression in child posttraumatic 12 weeks group was lower than normal group (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: After sciatic nerve damage, caspase-3 protein expression and activity were found to be increased in spinal cord of different age groups rats which can be reduced by extragenous ciliary neurotrophic factor, which playing protective role on spinal cord nerve cells, such protection would gradually attenuated in child group, adult group to elder group in turns.

Objective To study the effects of Tripterygium Hypoglaucum Hutch(THH) and its extract(THW-4) on neointimal formation of rabbit carotid arteries after balloon angioplasty.Methods After injury of the common carotid arteries was set up by balloon angioplasty,the rabbits were divided into 3 groups and were given different treatment protocol including gastrogarage of THH(n=9),associated gastrogavage of THH with local administration of THW-4 into the injured arteries(n=9) and 0.25% DMSO saline local administration as the control(n=9).Neointimal fomation was evaluated on days after the procedure by proliferating all nuclear antigen(PCNA) and Evans Blue staining,and quantitative histomorphometric analysis was performed on 28 days.Results The PCNA-positive index in the neointima at day 14 after the procedure was reduced in the THH gastrogavage group and the THH/THW-4 group compared with the control(17.68%?5.27%,6.60%?2.52% vs 40.37%?7.12%,P

Objective Our purpose was to report Initial clinical application experience and assess the immediate and short-term effect of transcatheter closure secundum atrial septal defects (ASD) using Amplatzer atrial septal ocluder.Methods Procedures were perfomed under fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiography monitoring. Nine patients (3 male, 6 female) underwent attempted transcatheter closure of a ASD using the Amplatzer atrial septal ocluder device with 10F, 11F or 12F long sheath at a mediant age of 33.0?5.2 years (range 8 to 52 years) and weighed 22 kg or more. Other congenital cardiac anomanies which require surgery were excluded. The mediant diameter of ASD at its narrowest segement were mensureted with the balloon catheters was 23.3?6.2 mm (ranger 11 to 30 mm). Systolic pressures of pulmonary arteries were 24.4?5.5 mm Hg (24-46 mm Hg) with catheterization mensuration. After the procedure, TEE were perfomed immediately to find whether there any residual shunt retained. Follow-up evaluation was color flow mapping at 24 h, 1, 3 and 6-months after closure. Results Nine patients had successful device placement. Transesophageal echocardiography showed that 8 patients had complete immediate closure and one had a small residual shunt after the operation, and could get up in the next day. The complication of cerebral throumbus embolism occurred in one woman patient during the procedure. She accepted immediately thrombolysis therapy with urokinase and recovered after several days. Conclusion Transcatheter closure of secondum ASD using Amplatzer atrial septal occluder device is an effctive nonsurgical therapy method. The operation has specialities of simple, safe with a high succes rate of placement and a fine occlusion effect. Further clinical trias are underway.

Healthcare at home is accepted little by little with the development of medical service in the community. This paper introduces the design method of mobile ECG monitoring system terminal for healthcare at home. The adoption of active electrode and digital trap contributes to the elimination of the external interference. Low-power-consumption MSP430 micro-controller applied, the realtime acquisition, procession and transmission to PDA of ECG are performed.

Objective To study the effect of methotrexate on the neointimal formation after arterial balloon injury. Methods Male rabbits were randomized into four groups: MTX 0.5 mg/kg per week, MTX 1.5 mg/kg per week, MTX 5 mg/kg per week and the control. Drugs were administered by intramuscular injection. Rabbit carotid arteries were harvested 2 and 4 weeks after injury. Results Histologically, the intimal areas were reduced significantly in MTX treated animals compared with the controls. The VSMC proliferation in injured vessels was identified by immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). In comparison, PCNA-positive cells in both intima and media were significantly reduced by treatment of MTX. But MTX did not enhance reendothelialization in the injured carotid arteries as determined by Evans blue stain.Conclusion Low dosage of MTX could attenuate neointimal formation after arterial injury by inhibiting VSMC proliferation.

This paper introduces a novel animal behavior monitoring system, in which a acoustooptic shielded room, computer multimedia technology, image acquisition technology, signal analysis technology are involved. This system can implement long-term non-interference automatic monitoring of the experimental animal with features of accurate recording, complete and objective analysis, and convenient and effective statistics. Applied widely to the animal model for post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the system is designed to be used for other biomedical studies.

Objective:To assess the vision-related quality of life(VRQoL) of the patients with simple vitreous hemorrhage after vitrectomy and analyze its influencing factors.Methods:A scale of life quality for patients with visual impairment(AQoL-DVI) were administered to 96 patients before and 6 months following vitrectomy.Scale scores were compared with vison preoperatively and postoperatively.Results:The lowest scores were at the item of "social life" and "spiritual and psychological status" before the surgery.The scores of the questionnaires increased significantly after vitrectomy.The change of visual acuity after surgery was a chief independent factor of the changes of questionnaire scores due to vitrectomy.Conclusion:The quality of life of patients with simple vitreous hemorrhage decreases sharply.VRQoL improves obviously after vitrectomy.

Autophagy is an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism responsible for degrading injured or dysfunctional cellular organelles and proteins in all living cells. Aging is a universal phenomenon characterized by progressive deterioration of cells and organs due to accumulation of macromolecular and organelle damage. Growing evidences indicate that the rate of autophagosome formation and maturation and the efficiency of autophagosome/lysosome fusion decline with age. Dysfunctional autophagy has also been observed in age-related diseases. Autophagy disruption resulted accumulation of mutated or misfolded proteins is the essential feature of neurodegenerative disorders. However, in cancers, fibroproliferative diseases or cardiovascular diseases, autophagy can play either a protective or destructive role in different types of disease, and even in different stages of the same disease. The review will discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms of autophagy and its important role in the pathogenesis of aging and age-related diseases, and the ongoing drug discovery strategies for therapeutic intervention.
Aging ; Autophagy ; Drug Discovery ; Humans ; Lysosomes ; metabolism ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Phagosomes ; metabolism ; Protein Folding